The Dallas Wings are hitting their stride, and it’s no coincidence that Paige Bueckers is leading the charge. Fresh off a 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury, the Wings have won five of their last seven games. Their rookie duo, Aziaha James and Bueckers, has been electric.
While star guard Arike Ogunbowale was sidelined, James scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half. Bueckers added 23 points, bringing her career total to 250 in just 13 games. Bueckers is on the fastest pace since Seimone Augustus in 2006, surpassing Caitlin Clark’s pace of 16 games last season. This is another feather in Bueckers’ cap as she continues to exceed expectations and receive accolades in her debut WNBA season.
Paige Bueckers Shatters Records, Wings Soar with Youth
Dallas is already investing heavily in its future, and Thursday’s game offered a glimpse of what’s to come. The Wings made history by starting four rookies – Bueckers, James, JJ Quinerly, and Jacy Sheldon – becoming the first team since the 2000 Minnesota Lynx to do so. The team has an average age of just 23.2 years. Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick, is the crown jewel.
She’s already won Rookie of the Month honors for June and earned a spot as an All-Star starter, which is rare for a first-year player. The fans love her, too. She racked up 805,471 All-Star votes, shattering Clark’s rookie record of 700,735 from last season. (Though to be fair, Clark set a new record this year with 1,293,526 votes.)
Bueckers’s impact is undeniable, and her stats back it up. Through 14 games, she’s averaging 18.7 points and 5.7 assists in 35 minutes, with one double-double. That’s slightly better than Clark’s rookie start: 15.6 points and six assists in 32 minutes over her first 14 games. However, Clark and the Fever turned their season around after the All-Star break, and the Wings might be on a similar path.
Dallas stumbled out of the gate, losing 11 of their first 12 games, but they now sit at 6-13 with plenty of time to climb the standings. Last year, the Fever went from 2-8 to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. If the Wings’ rookies continue to excel, Dallas could be the next Cinderella story.
Clark vs. Bueckers: The Rivalry Heats Up
The WNBA’s next big rivalry is brewing, and fans are counting down to July 13. That’s when the Wings and Fever meet again, and all eyes will be on Bueckers vs. Clark-the first WNBA showdown between two of the game’s brightest young stars.
The Wings lost to Indiana last Friday, but Clark was sidelined with an injury, leaving fans hungry for the real deal. Their college clashes were instant classics: UConn rolled 92-72 in the 2021 Sweet 16, and Iowa got revenge with a nail-biting 71-69 win in the 2024 Final Four.
Now, with both leading their teams, the stage is set for a must-watch battle. If Clark’s healthy, it’ll be the matchup everyone’s been waiting for. Bueckers’ rookie season is shaping up to be one for the books, and she’s just getting started! With the Wings finding their groove and a marquee rivalry on the horizon, Dallas is suddenly the team to watch. The best part? There’s still half a season left for Bueckers to keep rewriting the record books.
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